Container for liquids



May 14, 1963 E. B. WESTLAKE, JR

CONTAINERFOR LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 7, 1959 IN V EN TOR. fDWfiFD 6 W6 71/?!5 JP. BY My? H/S ,0 TTOENEVS United States Patent 3,089,622 CONTAINERFOR LIQUIDS Edward B. Westlake, Jr., 307 Lincoln Ave., Havertown, Pa.Filed Jan. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 785,436 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-183) Thisinvention relates to a container for dispensing liquids and to adispenser adapted for use with such a container.

Automatic devices for dispensing various types of goods upon deposit ofa coin have come into wide use in recent years. These devices have theconsiderable advantage of being able .to dispense goods without any needfor a salesperson to handle the sale. This enables large savings for aproprietor in wages and provides prompt, efficient and correct serviceto those utilizing the dispensing devices. Liquid beverages are soldwidely in these dispensers and liquid containers for use in such deviceshave therefore come into wide demand.

In the present invention, a novel liquid container well suited for usein such dispensing devices is provided. The container includes an innerflexible envelope of some suitable plastic material, an outer carton ofcardboard or the like, and a flexible tube which provides access to theinterior of the container, and which may be made available fordispensing purposes by removing one corner of the outer carton alongpreviously weakened tear lines. A novel dispenser is also provided whichmain tains the liquid container in an attitude in which the force ofgravity is capable of causing all of the fluid contents of saidcontainer to be discharged through the access tube.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide anovel container suitable for use in dispensing devices.

A further object is to provide a container in which access means aremade available by removal of one corner of the container.

An additional object is to provide a novel dispensing means adapted foruse with the container of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, thecombination thereof, the method of manufacture and the mode ofoperation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the container of the presentinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a view, partly broken away, similar to FIGURE 1, showing onecorner removed from the outer container to free the dispensing tube foruse.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view showing the container disposed in adispenser, ready for use.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the container, partly brokenaway, showing said container in phantom lines before it is filled withits contents.

The novel container of the present invention includes an outer member 12of cardboard or other suitable material, and an inner envelope 14disposed within the member 12. The envelope 14 is preferably made from athin, flexible plastic material, such as polyethylene, and has sealedthereto, by a leak-proof connection 16, a dispensing tube 18, providedwith a closing plug fused thereto. When the envelope 14 is disposedwithin the member 12, the tube 18 nestles in one corner of the member12, where it is protected during shipment and storage against possibledamage or loosening which might result in discharge of the contents ofthe container.

The previously mentioned corner of the outer member 12 is provided withweakening or tear lines 22 lying in a common plane to facilitate removalof said corner when 3,089,622 Patented May 14, 1963 Ice it is desired tobring the tube 18 into operative position. When the end of the tubecontaining the plug 20 is severed, the contents of the container 10 maybe discharged.

As shown by phantom lines 24 in FIGURE 4, one end of the inner envelope14 is left open to enable the liquid contents of the inner envelope tobe received therein. After the inner envelope 14 has been filled, itsopen end is closed along a line 26 by well-known means which areeffective to' seal the plastic material of which the envelope 14 ismade. The container may be heat sealed so as to obtain a fused seam. Thecorresponding end flaps 28 of the outer member 12 are, of course, leftopen until the inner envelope 14 has been filled and sealed, .and arethen closed.

In FIGURE 3 is shown a dispensing device Bil suitable for use with thecontainer 10. The device 30 includes an outer housing 32 having a lid 34which may be removed for placement of the container 10 within thehousing. The outer housing 32 in many commercial dispensers iscylindrical, designed to receive a cylindrical container that isreusable. However, the expense of sterilizing the conventional containeris greater or equal to the cost of a disposable container as shownherein.

The container 10 is supported within the housing 32 by a slanting baseplate 36 and a pair of plates 38, all secured to the housing 32 at rightangles to each other and in an attitude such that the container 10 issupported with one corner thereof lower than any other part of thecontainer. One plate 38 in FIGURE 3 has been broken away to fullyillustrate the structure of the container 10. This container 10 ispositioned within the housing 38 and on the plates 36 and 38, so thatthe corner bearing the tube 18, which corner has previously been removedto free said tube, is lower than any other, and the tube 18 is runthrough an opening 40 in the base of the housing 32.

Positioned below the housing 30 and secured thereto by a bracket 42 is amember 44 having an arcuate surface 46 against which the tube 18 rests.Cooperating with the surface 46 to control the flow of the liquidcontents of the container 10 from the tube 18 is a lever 48 pivotallymounted by a shaft 50 on a bracket 52 secured to the base of the housing32. At one end, the lever 48 is provided with a manual operating surf e54, and at its other end, said lever has an arcuate surface56 whichcooperates with the surface 46 on the member 44 to retain the tube 18therebetween. A leaf spring 58 secured to the lever 48 and coacting withthe underside of the base of the housing 32 urges the lever 48 in acounterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3, to pinch the tube 18between the surfaces 46 and 56 to cut off flow of the liquid contents ofthe container 10 through the tube 18.

It will be seen that by depressing the surface 54 on the lever 48, saidlever is rotated in a clockwise direction and the surface 56 thereon ismoved upward to a position where it does not pinch the tube 18. Fluidflow through the tube 18 is thus permitted and may continue so long asthe surface 54 on the lever 48 is held in depressed position. Uponrelease of said surface, the spring 58 rotates the lever 48 in acounterclockwise direction to restore the surface 56 to a position inwhich it engages the tube .18 and pinches it against the surface 46 onthe member 44 to cut off fluid flow.

If desired, a suitable coin-controlled mechanism (not shown) may beprovided to control the operation of the surface 54 on the lever 48.Such a device could require a deposit of a coin to free the lever 48 fordepression, and could control the length of time said lever could remaindepressed, thereby controlling the amount of fluid dispensed per coin.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, itWill be understood that Within the purview of this invention variouschanges may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement ofparts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generallystated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects setforth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A dispensing device comprising in combination a housing, a removablelid for the housing, a slanting base plate positioned within the housingat an acute angle to the horizontal, a pair of additional platespositioned Within the housing, said additional plates being secured tothe housing at right angles to the base plate and to each other and inan attitude such that a container is supported with one corner thereoflower than any other part of the container to facilitate the dispensingof a liquid; an aperture in the bottom of the housing through which adispensing tube attached to the lowest corner of the carton may extend;a first member positioned under the bottom of the housing against whichthe dispensing tube may rest; and a member shiftably mounted under thehousing and arranged to cooperate with said first member to control flowof a liquid from the carton through the dispensing tube.

2. A dispensing device comprising, in combination, a housing; aremovable lid for the housing; a base support member positioned withinthe housing at an acute angle to the horizontal; at least one additionalsupport member positioned within the housing at right angles to the basesupport member, the support rnembers together forming a support forholding adjoining faces of a removable carton containing a liquid to bedispensed in such a position that one corner of the carton is lower thanany other corner to facilitate dispensing of the liquid; said cartonincluding an outer carton of polyhedral configuration and a fluid-tightcontainer positioned within the outer carton, said inner container beingprovided with a dispensing tube positioned inside said one corner of theouter carton, and tear lines surrounding said outer carton to permitremoval of said one corner; an aperture in the bottom of the housingthrough which said tube may extend; a first member positioned under thebottom of the housing against which the dispensing tube may rest; and ashiftably mounted member under the housing and arranged to cooperatewith said first member to control flow of a liquid from the cartonthrough the dispensing tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,446,308 Smith Aug. 3, 1948 2,516,471 Letsch July 25, 1950 2,574,931Nason Nov. 13, 1951 2,831,610 Dennie Apr. 22, 1958 2,861,718 Winzen Nov.25, 1958 2,895,653 Giepen July 21, 1959

1. A DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HOUSING, A REMOVABLELID FOR THE HOUSING, A SLANTING BASE PLATE POSITIONED WITHIN THE HOUSINGAT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL, A PAIR OF ADDITIONAL PLATESPOSITIONED WITHIN THE HOUSING, SAID ADDITIONAL PLATES BEING SECURED TOTHE HOUSING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE BASE PLATE AND TO EACH OTHER AND INAN ATTITUDE SUCH THAT A CONTAINER IS SUPPORTED WITH ONE CORNER THEREOFLOWER THAN ANY OTHER PART OF THE CONTAINER TO FACILITATE THE DISPENSINGOF A LIQUID; AN APERTURE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING THROUGH WHICH ADISPENSING TUBE ATTACHED TO THE LOWEST CORNER OF THE CARTON MAY EXTEND;A FIRST MEMBER POSITIONED UNDER THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING AGAINST WHICHTHE DISPENSING TUBE MAY REST; AND A MEMBER SHIFTABLY MOUNTED UNDER THEHOUSING AND ARRANGED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID FIRST MEMBER TO CONTROL FLOWOF A LIQUID FROM THE CARTON THROUGH THE DISPENSING TUBE.